AutoFire® Kiln Controller User’s Guide
4
Firing Your Kiln
The purpose of firing your ware is to develop long lasting, durable, valuable, and useful products. When fired
properly, good-looking results are obtained. If improperly fired, the value of the ware is greatly reduced,
disappointment occurs, and in some cases, the object is discarded. When this happens, your effort and
anticipation leading up to the firing is wasted.
Understanding and controlling what occurs during firing will minimize problems and increase your ability to get
consistently good results. The firing, after all, is usually the final process in creating your “masterpiece.”
The AutoFire® Kiln Controller contains 3 preset programs – Lo Fire, Mid Fire, and Hi Fire. These programs
were designed for the firing of normal loads of hobby ceramics. As a rule, the firing in the kiln needs to be
slowed down in certain temperature ranges to allow for carbon burnout and to improve temperature uniformity.
The preset programs are designed with this in mind; however, when a kiln is more heavily loaded or thrown
ware with thicker walls are used, additional care is needed during the firing because the ramps for the preset
programs may be too fast. Experiment to determine the best firing conditions. It is also important that the kiln
be vented properly - Orton recommends the use of a downdraft venting system, such as an Orton KilnVent®.
When firing to a cone number, the AutoFire® kiln controller constantly monitors the actual heating rate of the
kiln. If the kiln does not fire as rapidly as programmed, the controller firmware recalculates and adjusts the top
firing temperature to compensate for the slower firing rate. This process more accurately fires to the cone
number selected. At slower heating rates, cones deform at slightly lower temperatures. At faster heating rates,
cones deform at slightly higher temperatures. This ability to recalculate and compensate to fire to a cone value
is a unique, patented feature of all Orton Electronic Kiln Control Products.
The AutoFire® Kiln Controller provides three preprogrammed firing cycle programs for preset cone firing.
These preprogrammed firing cycle programs and the corresponding preset cone fire programs follow:
Program Purpose Typical Cone Value Cone Range
Lo Fire Decal, Luster, and China Firings Cone 019 022 - 011
Mid Fire Glaze Firings Cone 06 010 - 01
Bisque and Earthenware Firings Cone 04 010 - 01
Hi Fire Stoneware and Porcelain Firings Cone 6 1 - 12
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